Reducing stress one exhale at a time …exploring Southern California and beyond

Tag Archives: New Years Eve

Our New Year’s Eve plans included an early evening concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I’ve only been to one other concert at the hall, and that was a few years ago to hear a small jazz combo. I was excited to hear Broadway star Idina Menzel, anticipating a very lively and entertaining show. We arrived early enough to enjoy a glass of champagne, with enough time to walk around the beautiful grounds.

On a previous occasion I’d taken a few photos from inside the lobby which is open to visitors during the week. The public is encouraged to come in an enjoy the wonderful Philharmonic Bookstore or small restaurant just inside the lobby doors.

Very sleek and modern. These photos were taken during the day, but in the evening the lighting is soft and warm, with the glass reflecting both indoor and outdoor light. Brightly lit Christmas trees were strategically placed and the lights of high-rise office buildings were visible from the lobby area–a very festive atmosphere!

Tickets were purchased in August and I couldn’t recall anything about the seating arrangements, so as we left the beautiful lobby and went to our seats I was pleased to discover we were balcony, front row center. In a relatively small setting these were perfect seats. Within just a few minutes of settling in I didn’t think twice. I whipped out my iPhone and began to snap pictures.

After all, I have a blog and I like to pretend I’m a photojournalist. I’m usually a very strict play by the rules kind of gal! If there’s a sign that says “no photography” then I don’t take photos. But for some reason I didn’t think at all…

…and then a very polite young woman approached me and gently told me to put my phone away. But fortunately I already had my photos. Maybe you can see the curved wood ceiling, designed for its acoustic capabilities. You can see that from our seats which were facing the orchestra, there are still seats behind. There is almost a complete 360° seating arrangement, allowing for intimacy despite 2,265 seats.

The pipe organ occupies the central position between the blocks of seats behind the orchestra and other design features include the hardwood walls and ceilings made of Douglas Fir, the same wood often used to back cellos and other fine instruments.

It was a wonderful concert with the star of the show delivering on all points. But the venue is a star, too, and I would have enjoyed sharing even more photos. I was just getting started.

I learned my lesson, though.

What did I learn? Oh, that’s easy. I learned that sometimes you have to break the rules to get a few good photos to share with your friends. And that although it was a little embarrassing at the moment, I got over it! Maybe I’ll break a few more rules this year all in the service of the blog. Are you with me?